Act 1 Scene 3 Commentary


Othello is considered an important heroic leader by the Venetian parliament. This scene consolidates our initial impression of Othello as a respected and able general. Othello has the full backing of the Venetian senators and the trust of the Duke. Othello is called upon to command the Cypriot defence forces against the Turkish invasion. The parliament’s unwavering high regard for Othello is further conveyed by their backing of him in his disagreement with Brabantio and the urgency with which they send him to Cyprus. Othello’s exotic past and resilience in the face of adversity paint him in a romantic light and help to clearly establish him as the hero of the drama. Despite his protests that he lacks eloquence and will tell ‘a round unvarnished tale’, Othello speaks movingly of his past and proves himself a capable orator. We learn of his ‘hair-breadth scapes’, his survival of slavery and how he faced cannibals. Othello’s stirring speech confirms him as a character who can act nobly in the face of adversity. His eventual downfall is made all the more tragic by this fact.


Othello’s flawed humanity (his excessive pride) is hinted at in this scene. He is shown to take great pride in his past adventures and has a tendency to see himself as a character from a heroic tale. Othello thrives on his reputation as a brave soldier and defines himself by it. He boasts that Desdemona fell in love with him because of his heroism and valour: ‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed’. Othello finds this admiration for his heroism attractive: ‘And I loved her that she did pity them.’ Othello takes pride in himself as a trustworthy soldier who can never be deterred from his duties, not even by love: ‘when light-winged toys


Of feathered Cupid seel with wanton dullness My speculative and officed instruments, That my disports corrupt and taint my business, Let housewives make a skillet of my helm, And all indign and base adversities Make head against my estimation!’


Brabantio’s prejudices are further confirmed in this scene. He characterises Othello’s appearance as monstrous and capable of inspiring fear: ‘To fall in love with what she feared to look on!’ Brabantio connects Othello’s race with witchcraft thus drawing on his suspicions of other cultures. He cannot imagine why his daughter would willingly have a relationship with a black man and accuses Othello of using magic and potions to win Desdemona: ‘She is abused, stolen from me, and corrupted / By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks’. Brabantio’s parting shot to Othello pre-empts Othello’s eventual jealousies: ‘Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: / She has deceived her father, and may thee’. This subtly gives the audience a sense of what is to come in the play. Desdemona is forthright and spirited in this scene. She confidently appeals to her father’s sense of reason and asserts her love for Othello. She asks directly to accompany her husband to Cyprus and seems undaunted before the powerful Duke and senators. Desdemona admits that she was drawn to Othello because of his exotic tales and status as a brave soldier: ‘I saw Othello’s visage in his mind, / And to his honour and his valiant parts / Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate’. Othello’s reputation as a soldier seems just as important to Desdemona as it is to Othello himself. Othello is afforded a fair hearing in this scene. The baseless charge of witchcraft made by Brabantio is dealt with in a judicious manner: Othello is allowed to give his perspective, while Desdemona is called as a witness.


34


Othello


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